Raspberry Pi market situation and availability in 2022 for industry
In this post, we discuss the Raspberry Pi market, the limited stock, and the availability of Raspberry Pis for industry.
A customer asked me about the availability of Raspberry Pis for his industrial design-ins (in this case, the company makes fire alarm systems).
Since this is a recurring question, I promised him to write a blog post. (Which the following video is also based on :-))
Basic information about the industrial Raspberry Pi availability in 2022
The situation is difficult in 2022, especially in the first half of the year.
You should therefore ideally plan ahead, and build buffers for your products if possible. If you have existing products, you should also consider migration paths to more current Raspberry Pi versions.
All Raspberry Pis are in allocation and the approved Raspberry Pi resellers, which we are one of, cannot currently get arbitrary quantities.
Therefore you should not expect to get any discounts on the market at the moment, but to have to pay the full list price. With most Raspberry Pi approved resellers you will not have to pay a premium in addition to this – other companies in the industry that do not have “approved” status, e.g. companies that sell on Amazon, can be expected to increase their prices due to high demand.
So it pays to plan and act in advance, and again – build up a buffer. If possible, plan to cover at least half a year of your production – this way you will not be forced to buy overpriced goods on the “black market”. We can support you with the availability.
Availability of the Raspberry Pi 4 in 2022
Availability of the Raspberry Pi 4 / 4 GB in 2022
The Raspberry Pi 4/4 GB keeps coming in in quantities – and sells off quite quickly. We help our industrial customers to manage their demand based on a forecast and reserve the needed Pis from upcoming Raspberry Pi deliveries to us. If you want to have a secure and predictable supply of Raspberry Pis please contact us.
Especially the first months (I have a forecast until the beginning of April) will be tense. We have placed some orders in advance and strategically allocated Pi 4 / 4 GB to early January and early February to cover these months.
Expect the situation to be tight especially in the first half of the year. Even towards the end of 2022, the pent-up demand will either not be met or only just met. The situation will probably ease off during the course of 2023.
On the other hand, the Pi 4 / 4 GB is the model that will be most available overall. I.e. if you can switch from a previous version in your design, or can also use this version in your devices at least as an option, you further secure yourself in 2022, and can in turn deliver consistently to your customers.
Availability of the Raspberry Pi 4 / 8 GB in 2022
The Raspberry Pi 4 / 8 GB arrives in much smaller quantities and is mainly purchased by private customers. Here, too, we can reserve quantities for industrial applications – it is also a (more expensive) fallback variant if you have very urgent need for additional boards.
Unfortunately, due to the smaller quantities, it is also very limited, but may be sufficient for prototyping.
Availability of the Raspberry Pi 4 / 2 GB in 2022
The Raspberry Pi 4 / 2 GB was raised in price by Raspberry Pi, due to rising component costs. Because of this, the cheaper Pi 4 / 1 GB model was also reintroduced.
Both Raspberry Pi variants are purchased by us directly from Raspberry Pi. They are both similarly poorly available – we are in allocation, and have to manage here. To be on the safe side, plan on having to switch to the Pi 4 / 4 GB. Due to the lower price, these Pis are very quickly bought up by end users and industrial users at the same time.
Availability of the Raspberry Pi 4 / 1 GB in 2022
The Pi 4 / 1 GB is expected to be less available than the Pi 4 / 2 GB, among other things because, for example, many (e.g. our) pre-orders at Raspberry Pi were already running on the Pi 4 / 2 GB before the reintroduction of the Pi 4 / 1 GB was announced
Availability of the Raspberry Pi 400 in 2022
If the Raspberry Pi 400 (with built-in keyboard) is suitable for your application, you currently have a very good chance of getting stock directly.
I expect that in 2022 the production of the Pi 400 will be further reduced to prioritize CM4 and Pi 4 (which all use the same SoCs).
Availability of the Raspberry Pi 3 / 3B+ in 2022
Availability of the Raspberry Pi 3B in 2022
The Raspberry Pi 3B (without modular certification) belongs to the older generation of Raspberry Pi SoCs that are manufactured using 40 nm technology. Like all models of this generation, they have worse availability than the Pi 4 SoCs manufactured using 28 nm technology.
However, the Pi 3 B will have better availability than Raspberry Pi 3B+ due to strategic considerations (because migration to Raspberry Pi 4 is more difficult for users of this design than of Raspberry Pi 3B+).
We have placed orders for larger quantities of the Pi 3B and 3B+, but expect to receive mostly Pi 3B.
At this point, we advise you to consider migrating to the new Raspberry Pi 4. We would be happy to advise you on this, and if necessary also support you by offering consultationconsulting during the migration.
TL;DR: Pi 4 > Pi 3B > Pi 3B+
Availability of the Raspberry Pi 3B+ in 2022
The availability of this product (Raspberry Pi 3B+) will be very poor in 2022. Please consider switching to the Raspberry Pi 4 in your design. According to the plan I have, we will not be receiving any deliveries in the first months of 2022.
Availability of the Raspberry Pi 2B v1.2 in 2022
According to current plans, this model will not be made by the manufacturer from whom we purchase the Raspberry Pi. It is therefore even scarcer than the Pi 3B+.
We are currently evaluating an alternative in which we modify the Raspberry Pi 3B so it has no WiFi / Bluetooth (as a subsequent modification). Contact us if such a hardware modification is of interest to you.
If you do not need a hardware modification, you can disable WiFi & Bluetooth on the Raspberry Pi 4 / 4 GB via config.txt.
Availability of the Raspberry Pi Zero W / Zero 2 W in 2022
Availability of the Raspberry Pi Zero in 2022
The Raspberry Pi Zero will be very hard to get. Consider a design based on the Zero 2.
Availability of the Raspberry Pi Zero W in 2022
The Raspberry Pi Zero W will be hard to get. Consider a design based on the Zero 2.
Availability of the Raspberry Pi Zero WH in 2022
The Raspberry Pi Zero WH will be difficult to obtain. We may be able to work with you to clarify your industrial need for Raspberry Pi Zero WH – contact us if you are interested.
We recommend planning new designs based on the Zero 2.
Availability of the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W in 2022
The Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W will be available in limited quantities in 2022. We recommend being patient for design-ins, and starting mass production in 2023. Contact us if specific quantities are needed, and we will try to assist you with your needs.
Availability of the Raspberry Pi Zero 2 WH in 2022
This product is currently not offered by Raspberry Pi (Pi Zero 2 W with soldered pin header). However, we already offer a modified variant, as Pi Zero 2 WH.
The availability is similar to Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W. We assume that Raspberry Pi will introduce such a variant in 2022, which will lower the costs somewhat.
Availability of the Raspberry Pi Compute Module in 2022
Availability of the Compute Module 3 / 3B+ in 2022
The Compute Modules 3 / 3 B+ currently have lead times of 52 weeks. This means that they are effectively out of stock on the market and are definitely not recommended for new design-ins. Please use the Compute Module 4.
If you use very large quantities of Compute Module 3 in your legacy applications, please contact us, we may have a solution for you.
Availability of Compute Module 4 in 2022
Production of the Compute Module 4 will be ramped up at the beginning of the year – gradually more will be available on the market. It has significantly shorter lead times than the Compute Module 3 (regardless of whether it is a 3 or 3B+ variant). Especially from around mid-2022 onwards, the availability of Compute Module 4 should improve again.
We can help you to manage your Compute Module 4 demand, and if necessary to get samples for your development in advance – feel free to contact us if needed.
The Compute Module 4 is the right choice for Raspberry Pi based designs.
Recommended products for new designs based on Raspberry Pi in 2022
We recommend new hardware designs based on Compute Module 4 for 2022. We can also support you with design services and consulting – contact us for a non-binding and free initial consultation.
Of course we can also help you to manage your Compute Module 4 needs, and if necessary get samples for your development in advance – feel free to contact us if needed.
If you don’t currently want to invest in your own hardware design (for an application-specific carrier board for the Compute Module 4), we recommend designs based on the Raspberry Pi 4. Plan your budget calculation with the Raspberry Pi 4 / 4 GB, as this model will be fairly easily available – while Raspberry Pi 4 / 2 GB and Raspberry Pi 4 / 1 GB are cheaper but more difficult to obtain.
If you want to create a design for a cheaper product, or compactness and low power consumption are very important for you, consider a design based on Pi Zero 2 W – currently this is not very easily available, but the situation should improve in 2023.
Our priority: industrial projects and business needs
In the current tight market situation, we prioritize industrial customers, business customers who use the Raspberry Pi in their business, and end customers (makers / schools / universities / enthusiasts).
Pure resellers who e.g. sell the Raspberry Pis at inflated prices on Amazon are not welcome by us, because they “take away” the scarce goods from our other customers, and everyone has less in the end. We take care to limit this in your interest.